Roy H (More Than Ready), the back-to-back winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Sprint and the Eclipse award for champion sprinter, has been scratched from Saturday's G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at Meydan. Owner Brian Trump of Rockingham Ranch tweeted on Thursday morning, “We have decided to scratch Roy H from the Golden Shaheen. When Roy arrived in Dubai, he developed a sore foot which [trainer Peter Miller] and his team immediately attempted to treat. Unfortunately, the only cure for his foot is time off to heal. So that is what he will get, time off until he tells us he is ready with our goal of pointing towards the Breeders' Cup.”
Rockingham Ranch still has two chances for success on Saturday's card, with the back-to-back GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) lining up in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint, in which he was second last year, and X Y Jet (Kantharos) looking to go one better than his second in last year's, and the 2016, Golden Shaheen.
Trainer Jorge Navarro said after X Y Jet trained on Thursday morning, “He looks good. He's ready. My little horse has handled everything. Is he going to run a big race? Yes.
“I think I'm the speed of the speed. We're going to find out who's faster,” Navarro said. “One thing with the American horses–they use a beep here, not a bell, so they won't be used to that. X Y Jet, he's heard it before. This is his third time here and he's acting like he's at home. He loves it here.”
Stormy Liberal schooled at the gate on Thursday and required a bit of persuasion to enter the stalls. Trainer Peter Miller said, “He had a little adventure at the gate. California style is what I wanted to do, but it's just different here with the lights, the crew. Normally, he's great in the gate. Today was different for him and that's why you school them. It worked out OK. Hopefully on Saturday night we're good.”
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